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A showcase of an aspiring television presenter/writer

Monthly Archives: February 2013

Over the last few weeks American television has been making the headlines: the Superbowl (more importantly, Beyonce) and Oprah Winfrey’s emotional interview with Lance Armstrong being just two. Piers Morgan has been debating gun issues in America for a while now and this video, published last Tuesday, is just one example. Now this is an issue that is deeply rooted in American culture and history. During the re-inauguration week, Obama pledged to a little girl who wrote him a letter, that he is going to ‘try, very hard’ to do what he can to enforce tighter restrictions. Being a Briton, and not a well-liked one to say the least, Piers faces an uphill battle to try and present a balanced argument. Which I believe he does well here: he has people from either side of the argument, in positions of authority, and allows them each a few minutes to talk. Being on a schedule and dealing with hot headed characters, Piers does resort to interrupting and trying to move the point along. At the end it does degrade into everyone trying to get points in over the others, and there is a very sudden wrapping up. This interview is obviously never going to put a definite stop to the issue, but there is a feeling this is unfinished and could have gone on longer. However, it is likely that would have turned this into a shouting match. Piers does keep his cool on the whole, giving the interviewees their own time. The comments on the YouTube video, do not agree with me. Lots of Americans believe as a foreigner, he has no say, no understanding or even any rights. There are lots of calls for him to be deported, countered by British people writing that no-one in the UK wants him either. A lot of these comments I strongly believe are influenced by people’s pre-conceived notions of him, or the issue – blindly sticking to their guns (views!) without analysing both sides that are being presented.